Gabrielle Herbst is a composer, vocalist and educator. She’s received commissions from Roulette and the Jerome Foundation, the Nouveau Classical Project, Duo Noir, Experiments in Opera, Fresh Squeezed Opera, The Knights, and contributed to the opera Magdalene as part the Prototype Festival 2020 in NYC. She’s been composer-in-residence at the Watermill Center, Exploring the Metropolis, Inc., Atlantic Center for the Arts, Avaloch Farms, Roulette and Pioneer Works. She has had her compositions presented at venues including National Sawdust, The Stone, Issue Project Room, HERE Arts Center, the National Guitar Society, MATA, and Lincoln Center Atrium. Under the moniker GABI she released her debut album Sympathy on Software Recording Co. in 2015. Tour highlights included David Byrne’s Meltdown Festival, London, Pop Kultur Festival, Berlin, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam, The Great Escape, Brighton, UK, Marfa Myths Festival, TX, The Wick presented by Pitchfork, and a series at Roulette with Missy Mazzoli curated by Meredith Monk. She released her second GABI album, Empty Me, on Double Double Whammy in 2018 and toured the US opening for the band Mutual Benefit. She is a current fellow with the American Opera Project’s Composers & the Voice program. She graduated from Bard College where she studied composition with Joan Tower, and the Yale School of Music where she studied with Martin Bresnick, Aaron Jay Kernis, and David Lang.

Composer and cinematographer J.E. Hernández (b.1993) is a Mexican-born, Houston-based composer focusing on elevating personal and cultural narrative through his work. J.E.’s music has been featured by distinguished ensembles and organizations such as the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Houston Grand Opera, American Opera Project, Performing Arts Houston, Apollo Chamber Players, Foundation for Modern Music, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, American Composers Forum, the Brazil National Orchestra, and in a wide variety of films, both in the United States and abroad.
He holds a degree from the University of Houston. Past teachers include Marcus Maroney and Gregory Spears. J.E.’s work focuses on both traditional and multi-disciplinary mediums, and he has collaborated with directors, choreographers, and playwrights. His process cultivates creativity through stewarding tangible life experiences through an intensive, multinarrative process that is mathematical, philosophical, and historical; these include environmental displacement, anthropologic self-assessments, and non-artistic life narratives. Recent and upcoming projects include helah, a chamber work focusing on the transformative aspect of generational historicity and trauma, commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera; Voces Fantasmas, a multi-disciplinary work dedicated to people in immigrant facilities, excerpts of which were featured by the Kennedy Center for the Arts; Desert Shelter, commissioned by Performing Arts Houston, a work for string sextet and dance which deals with the bodily decay that migrants experience when crossing the Sonoran desert, premiering at the Wortham Theater in 2023; a McKnight Visiting Composer Residency with American Composers Forum; and a fellowship with American Opera Project’s Composers & the Voice program, where he will workshop a wide variety of operatic works with world class singers, culminating in a premiere.

Coloratura soprano, Jaime Marie Webb, has appeared in leading roles across the U.S. and abroad. Webb is a second-year Holland Community Opera Fellow at Opera Omaha and a former Patricia and Dr. Carl S Hoveland Opera Fellow at The University of Georgia Opera Theater. Select performance credits include Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Norina in Don Pasquale, Micaëla in Carmen, Musetta in La Bohème, Hanna Glawari in Die lustige Witwe, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2022, Webb made her company debut with Charlottesville Opera as an Ader Emerging Artist featured in The Merry Widow and The Sound of Music. She also premiered seven new works for Opera Omaha’s Poetry & Music Project and performed as a soloist in the Opera To-Go series. An avid concert performer and champion of women’s works, Webb partnered with the Lied Center for Performing Arts to make her debut in a tribute concert for Justice Ginsburg featuring the works of Patricia Michaels, Stacy Garrop, Vivian Fung, and Lori Laitman.

CeCe Hastreiter is a soprano known for her versatility in performing both musical theater and classical works. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at Nebraska Wesleyan in 2019. Hastreiter went on to receive her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at Roosevelt University (CCPA) in Chicago and graduated in 2021. At both universities, Hastreiter performed many leading roles in opera productions. Some roles include Adele (Die Fledermaus), Lola (Gallantry), Fiammetta (Prima Donna), and Athena (Arachne). Hastreiter participated in multiple young artist programs, one being La Musica Lirica, where she played Despina (Così fan tutte). In addition, she has performed with Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Résonance, Chicago Symphony, Lincoln Symphony, Carnegie Hall, Rosemont Theatre, and Chanticleer Theatre. Hastreiter premiered the role of Bibi in Daron Hagen’s new opera 9/10: Love Before the Fall, with film release in September 2023. Recently, Hastreiter has performed the roles of Maureen in RENT, Lindsay in Godspell, and will play Mabel in Pirates of Penzance this May. In addition, Hastreiter continuously performs as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Currently, Hastreiter sings for First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, NE and Opera Omaha’s Chorus, and also enjoys teaching vocal students privately.

A dynamic and versatile performer, Mary Carrick is a familiar face and voice across the Omaha metro. She’s performed with many of the area’s major organizations, theaters, and venues, including Opera Omaha, The Rose Theater, Omaha Symphony, Holland Performing Arts Center, Nebraska Wind Symphony, Performing Artist Repertory Theatre (PART), and others. Mary is a long-time company member of Opera Omaha. She originated the role of Old Catherine in the world-premiere of Stranger from Paradise. Other credits include Alms Sister in Suor Angelica, Elle in La Voix Humaine, Giovanna in Rigoletto, and Gertrude (cover) in Hansel & Gretel. She’s also been featured in the company’s Opera-to-Go series of outdoor concerts. Other notable area credits include Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Deb in Elf: The Musical (The Rose), My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra (PART), Madame Flora in The Medium (Shelterbelt Theater), and Jenny in Company (Omaha Community Playhouse). Mary is a Touring Artist with the Nebraska Arts Council and performs extensively as a solo artist across the Midwest in cabaret and concert settings. She’ll perform her show Girl Singer: Celebrating the Women Who Wrote the Songs in Omaha this fall.

Jill is a senior vocal performance major at UNO, studying under Professor Shelby VanNordstrand. She teaches piano and voice lessons at Gretna Music Lessons, and is the Worship Director at the St. John Paul II Newman Center. This summer she will travel to Italy to sing the role of Giulio Cesare in Opera Seme's 2023 production of Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto.

Mezzo-soprano Sam Howdle was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. Sam is currently in her third year, working towards a major in Vocal Performance at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Sam recently performed in the UNO Musical Theater & Opera production of Wouldn’t You Like to Be on Broadway—The Kurt Weill Story and with UNO Concert Choir at Carnegie Hall. Sam teaches a studio of beginning voice, piano, and voice students at Gretna Music Lessons. Sam also enjoys composing songs using multi-track technology as well as traditional songs for voice and piano.

Maddy Stark is in her fifth year studying vocal performance and music theatre at the University of Nebraska Omaha, with Alisa Belflower. Most recently, she has been seen on stage at the Omaha Community Playhouse in their production of Rent and a featured soloist in UNO Music Theatre’s production “The Kurt Weill Story“. Other performances include Ilona Ritter In She Loves Me, Papagena in UNL Opera’s Magic Flute, and the ensemble cast of the musical film The Real Gemma Jordan. This past summer, Maddy received a first-place award in Musical Theatre at the NATS National Student Auditions held in Chicago. Prior to that, she received Music Theatre Singer of the Year at the Regional Student auditions in 2020. Maddy will next be seen in the staged reading My Sister’s Choice at the Omaha Community Playhouse. She is excited and honored to be a part of the Music and Poetry Project with Opera Omaha. She thanks her family and her voice teacher for their loving support through all her endeavors.

Jill Stark is a 3rd-year vocal performance major at UNO. This is her first project with Opera Omaha, and she couldn't be more excited! She has recently been seen as a featured soloist in UNO Music Theatre's A Kurt Wiell Story and the Baker's Wife in UNO Theatre's production of Into The Woods. Jill received 1st place awards in classical and musical theatre this past fall at the West Central NATS Student Auditions. Prior to that, she was a semi-finalist in musical theatre at the NATS National Student Auditions held in Chicago this past summer. Jill is so grateful and honored to be working with Opera Omaha and is so excited to be a part of this special project. She hopes you enjoy the show!

Baritone John Tuvera Lim is an opera singer from Omaha, NE. He has sung in the chorus for Opera Omaha’s The Capulets and the Montagues and Opera Outdoors. Also a pianist and cellist, he frequently plays around the metropolitan area for churches, weddings, and classes. A senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), John is a voice student of Professor Shelby VanNordestrand and has also completed additional undergraduate voice study with Professor Alisa Belflower. At UNO, he serves as bass section leader in UNO’s Concert Choir and principal cello in the Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Tuvera Lim will graduate this coming May from UNO with his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance. He will attend graduate school next fall at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA to pursue a Master of Music in Voice Performance.

Conductor and pianist Tyson Deaton garnering critical acclaim in the U.S. and worldwide. Known for his broad range of repertoire and versatility of style, he has established a reputation for leading energetic and inventive performances. With his musical roots in the standard operatic canon, his affinity for contemporary works is also noteworthy.

Appearing at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Jacob's Pillow, Deaton has also worked with San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Birmingham, Atlanta Opera, Kentucky Opera, and American Modern Ensemble, among numerous others. His recorded output includes Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied and Offenbach’s L’île de Tulipatan, both with Albany Records, along with a song recital disk with soprano Julia Kogan.

Zedeka Poindexter is a North Omaha-born and raised writer and performer. By sharing stories from her community, Zedeka creates a relationship with audiences and guides them through the world as she sees and experiences it. She is Omaha's first woman poetry slam champion and has represented her city in the National Poetry Slam and Women of the World Poetry Slam. Zedeka is a 22/23 Amplify Arts Public Impact Grant recipient, three-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award winner, and a two-time fellow at Nebraska's Union for Contemporary Art. She has featured in performances at the John Beasley Theater, the Great Plains Theater Conference, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Currently, Zedeka is Co-Executive Director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, and creating a choreopoem focusing on Black women's navigation of the health industrial complex that will be completed later this year.